‘Percy Jackson’ Director Reveals ‘E.T.’ Was Emotional Inspiration for Disney+ Series
Preview
Lightning strikes with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Disney+’s new series that, thanks to Rick Riordan’s beloved book franchise and the stunning production quality of its fantastical, eight-episode first season, could make global sensations of teen stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri.
If that sounds like the origin story of three wizards named Harry, Ron and Hermione, you’re not wrong: Percy Jackson is to Gen Z what Harry Potter is to millennials. Riordan’s adventurous story follows Scobell’s Percy, the 12-year-old demigod son of Poseidon (Toby Stephens) and human Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull). His real identity has been concealed from him all his life, but everything changes when the mist dividing the human and Olympian worlds unveils, and Percy begins to see the truth.
After finding refuge at Camp Half-Blood, where demigods train, Percy is forced to embark on a dangerous quest to prove his innocence when Zeus (the late Lance Reddick, in one of his last roles) accuses him of stealing his master thunderbolt. Grover (Simhadri) and demigod Annabeth (Jeffries) join the tween on his mission.
Disney
Despite the character’s popularity, Riordan’s books have never gotten a faithful screen adaptation. In 2010 and 2013, 20th Century Fox released two films based on the fantasy-adventure saga that were poorly received due to their massive deviation from the source material and a noticeable lack of involvement from Riordan. This time around, the author was part of every stage of the production, acting as a co-creator, executive producer and writer who helped shepherd the story into something that felt like a worthy retelling.
“He knows it so well,” says James Bobin, who directed the first two episodes and cites a Steven Spielberg classic as their visual and emotional inspiration for the series. “E.T.’s a good working example of how we wanted this to feel.” Like the 1982 movie, the intrigue of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is that it’s an “emotionally grounded and very real” story infused with supernatural elements.
“I like the idea that this show is very much from Percy’s perspective,” says Bobin. “The idea is that you go through the journey with him. This world from a point of view of a 12-year-old is a really interesting place to be.” And it’s made all the more interesting thanks to Scobell’s performance in the lead role. Bobin says Scobell’s Percy is “eminently likeable” and has “great vulnerability.”
Aside from Reddick, the show’s stacked list of adult guest stars includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus and Megan Mullally as the monster Alecto. But according to Bobin, it’s Kull’s Sally, “the engine of the story,” who really weaves a “thread of magic” starting in the first episode.
“The books are drama and comedy and action, emotional, all that stuff,” says Bobin. “The blend was really important, because that is what sets the tone of the show and draws you in and keeps you there.”
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 premieres with its first two episodes on Wednesday, December 20 on Disney+. The season covers the plot of the first book of the franchise, The Lightning Thief. Below, meet the teens of Camp Half-Blood before the highly anticipated series comes out.
Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson
Disney/David Bukach
He wants to fit in despite being the son of Poseidon.
Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
Disney/David Bukach
The daughter of Athena joins Percy’s quest.
Aryan Simhadri as satyr Grover Underwood
Disney/David Bukach
Percy’s undercover protector turned BFF.
Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue
Disney/David Bukach
The competitive daughter of Ares, god of war.
Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan
Disney/David Bukach
The coolest kid at camp and an expert swordsman.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Series Premiere, Wednesday, December 20, Disney+
This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s December issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands, or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
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